


A Missed Opportunity

by stelliums



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Nonbinary Jeremy Heere's Squip, Other, Possibly Unrequited Love, Post canon, This is barely even related to canon, Trans Jeremy Heere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-17 11:44:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18964576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stelliums/pseuds/stelliums
Summary: A follow-up/addition to Mirror - the SQUIP accompanies Jeremy to a college party.





	A Missed Opportunity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sedusa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sedusa/gifts).



Parties were a necessary evil. A chance for networking, friendships. Social status could rise or fall during the events of a single night. The wrong move, the wrong amount of alcohol, the wrong place to throw up and it was all over. The bright, flashing technicolour lights were disorienting, unless that was due to the alcohol. That made them glad that they were invisible to all of the guests except one.

“Why do you need me here, exactly? You told me you can handle this. You’re just going to deactivate me anyways, as soon as any more cheap alcohol touches your lips.”

She laughed at them, brushing off their question. Jeremy wore a red dress, simple but certainly effective. She had only used the smallest amount of makeup to accentuate her features, as the other girls at college had taught her. They had done well, clearly. 

They hummed a tune to themself, although it wasn't the same song that blared through the speakers loud enough to make the floor feel as if it was shaking. Their eyes were seeking the next quieter space while guests passed through them. Jeremy didn’t appear to have the same goal, greeting various people that they didn’t know. They watched her with a small, wistful smile on their face. That was the Jeremy that they were glad to see. They wore a buttoned up, patterned blue and white shirt. It was similar to the outfits of many of the guests. They didn’t look out of place. This was done on purpose, they thought; Jeremy had insisted on it. Even if nobody would see them, and they could just as easily choose their own form, but he supposed there was nothing wrong with letting Jeremy choose. It was what they had offered at the start, after all.

”You, me, that corner. Now. Or as soon as you’re done with this conversation.”, they muttered as loudly as they could over the music. Their finger tapped her shoulder. She shivered a little at the touch, earning her a smirk from them.

The SQUIP led her towards the empty corner and leaned against the wall, “Why did you insist that I stay with you? You know that nobody can see me. If you wanted a date, I can get you that, easy - or you can, now." 

She shrugged, “You’d hate me if I turned you off again.”

“...true, true...”, they admitted, “So... what do you want to do with me...?”

Jeremy coughed, trying not to laugh at the tone of their voice. For a machine, they had a habit of sounding unknowingly flirtatious. Or perhaps they did know. Her SQUIP was nothing if not observant. 

"I don't know. Dance, sing along to the music, have fun! You know how to do that, don't you? I thought you knew everything.", Jeremy grinned, poking their cheek and downing the rest of the liquid in her cup. The figure in front of her flickered and threatened to fade entirely, if only for a split second. Another thing about Jeremy that refused to change - she still had an issue with holding her drink.

They responded by holding onto her wrist and tugging it towards the door. "Come on, you, we're getting fresh air."

"Why? Why do you hate fun so much? The people here are actually pretty great,” she protested. "So what is it? Scared?"

After leading her outside, away from the lights and the people and the alcohol, they finally gave themself time to think about her question. "No, Jeremy, not scared. I'm a computer. I have nothing to fear,” they answered, causing Jeremy to glance at them. The wind cooled the heavy summer air and ruffled her already messy hair. They looked away again, the same smile on their face as when they had been admiring her earlier. There had been more situations that had called for that expression, lately. They had only been with Jeremy, this new Jeremy, for a few weeks, at most. It was strange, not having to do much. Why were they even there? But they certainly didn't want to  _ not _ be there.

"You sure? There's got to be something..."

"...that's enough."

"I'll tell you what I'm scared of... like spiders!"

That made the flickering figure laugh a little, "I know you're not afraid of spiders, Jeremy, but I appreciate you trying to... cheer me up?"

"Come on, let's go and do some karaoke or something. You'd be good. Really good, probably, since you can do that thing with your voice-"

"Out of the question, nobody can hear me. But, I'd happily watch you sing your heart out." They stood at the bottom of the steps to the house. The last time that they had been at a party, they had almost ruined Jeremy's newfound popularity. They had been on a high with the power, the control they had over her, drunk on it even. Three years to reflect hadn't exactly made them fond of that memory. 

Jeremy's eyes, as bright a blue as they had always seen them since they had been reactivated, were gazing down at them with a tilt of her head. They appeared closer to her, on a whim, ending up almost nose to nose. Jeremy moved her face away from them, but grinned. "No chance."

"What did you think I wanted?" They asked with obviously feigned innocence. They could read her thoughts; they already knew what she thought their intentions had been. But to hear her admit what had been going through her mind sounded more... satisfying to them.

"You-"

"...I had no idea that you felt that way about me.", their fingers curled around her hand, "Perhaps I should have come as your date after all?"

She was bright red. That could be blamed on the wind, or how warm it had been inside, or alcohol. Anything but the voice inside her head that didn't know when reading her mind was appropriate. And there was that smile again. She looked them over, trying to find any similarities between the puppetmaster she had been accustomed to seeing and the SQUIP that stood next to her, awaiting an answer.

"Too sudden? Before you ask, I wasn't actually going to-"

"Maybe..." she said, before she heard a voice call from inside, looking for more karaoke participants, "--karaoke calls!"

That brought a smile to their face, even though they didn't receive a clear answer. That was fine, though. Who were they, to not expect their own vague, cryptic responses to be used against them? "Well played, Heere,” they muttered under their breath.

The fabric of her dress floated around her as she turned over her shoulder to meet his eyes. "Are you coming inside or what?!" She asked, waiting for a moment before she disappeared into the crowd. Faintly, they could hear someone else yelling "what?" back at her. It seemed that, for a moment, Jeremy had forgotten that she had been talking to thin air.


End file.
